Beyond A Mad Tea Party
by DivineRose2392
Summary: Riku has to travel to an different Wonderland...alone. But he comes across a different Alice. They're not mad....they're insane. "Please don't dawdle, Alice! We're very late, indeed!"
1. Falling Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter One

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole

"Wait, you're saying that I'm going alone?" Riku asked. He leaned against the bookcase that was behind him and folded his arms across his chest. He stared at his two best friends with raised eyebrows. Sora and Kairi glanced at each other for a moment with uneasy expressions upon their faces. Their eyes soon met Riku's again. Sora sighed hesitantly and then he too crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yes," Sora said with a nod, "that's what I'm saying."

"Don't take it as an offense," Kairi said quietly.

"I'm not," Riku said as he straightened his back. "But I just want to know why…."

"Well," Sora said. He and Kairi looked at each other and blushed. Riku smirked at their reaction.

"I get it," he said. "You want to be alone with each other—"

"What?!" Sora and Kairi said in unison.

"I understand. I mean, who wants another person along when you're in love?"

"Riku!" Sora yelled.

"We're—" Kairi began, but Riku held up a hand.

"One goes to Wonderland and the other to Neverland. That's fine with me. Besides, if I can recall correctly, didn't you want to take Kairi flying in Neverland, Sora?"

Sora didn't say anything. Kairi's face turned into a deep shade of pink. Riku was quite amused. He found it funny when he made fun of his best friends' relationship.

"Really?" Kairi finally asked Sora.

"Um…yeah, I did," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. His expression then turned serious. "Well, it's settled then. Clear the world and come back safe and sound."

"Okay, cool," Riku said.

"You don't mind, do you, Riku?" Kairi asked him.

"No, not really. I mean, I've been alone before. It's not like it's going to be anything new to me."

"You sure you don't want to take Goofy or Donald?"

Riku made a straight face.

"I'm sure," he said in a monotone.

"Yeah, I wouldn't blame you…."

"You guys don't like them?" Sora asked as he titled his head to the side. Riku and Kairi glanced at each other, and then at Sora. They didn't say anything more to him about the subject.

"I'm going to take off. I'll see you late. Tell Mickey that I'm leaving," Riku said. Kairi gave him a quick hug while Sora gave him a fist pound.

"Good luck, man," Sora said.

"Be careful," Kairi added.

"It sounds like I'm going away to war," Riku muttered as he walked away. But he was grateful that his friends cared for him. He exited the library swiftly and then opened a portal with his hand_. It's better than taking the Gummi Ship,_ he thought. He stepped in.

For a minute, he was walking along a cement road, and was surrounded by darkness. It was a familiar to him. He quickly embraces the sight and kept up his stride. "Now, where the hell is that door? It should be coming up anytime now…."

But he continued to walk. A minute turned into an hour and a mile turned into many miles. He was beginning to feel a different type of coldness sweep through his body. It wasn't the coldness from the darkness. No, this was different. He didn't like the presence that he was feeling. It felt like someone was watching him.

Riku soon approached an arch way. He passed through it and thought that it was a little strange that there was a random arch way sitting there. He looked down and saw that the cement road had a black and white checkered pattern on it, like a chess board. He picked up his pace, curious to find out where this path led. Of course the door, he thought, but then he had a feeling that this was a bad path. He saw a few red spots on the white squares and felt a little uneasy.

At last, he saw a pair of giant doors waiting at the end of the path. The doors had cravings in them of suits from a deck of playing cards, a pocket watch, a rabbit and a few characters that Riku recognized. But the one person he didn't see was _her_. He thought that to be a little strange but proceeded towards the doors anyway. When he was a few feet from it, he took out his sword (The Way to Dawn) and held it out to the doors. A beam of light shot out from the end of his sword and hit the giant keyhole that was lying between the doors. There was a click noise, and the doors swung inward. He took a quick breath and then proceeded in.

A light blinded him for a moment. But when he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in a field of flowers. He noticed that there was a large oak tree, but no one was sitting under it. He made his way over to it. The shade felt nice; he felt his body cool down as he got away from the summer's sun.

He looked at the tree trunk and noticed a small red line on it. He moved over a little and saw the arrow pointing left. It looked like it was smeared in red paint…or so he hoped. He then saw a white rabbit jetting across the field. It was going in the way the arrow was pointing. He saw the rabbit disappear into the forest.

Riku began to follow it. He kept looking around him as he made his way in the arrows direction. When he approached the edge of the forest, he stopped when he felt the ground slant down a little. Behind some tall grass, he peered over to see a large rabbit hole that was going straight down. It didn't look very promising, but his mind was telling him that it was the entrance to Wonderland. He looked behind him once more, and saw that there were black clouds west of him.

"Better now than never," he said. He let out a giant breath and then jumped down the rabbit hole. He saw that the dirt walls were now turning into checker boards and that there were a few things floating such as pots and cups, chairs and tea bags. But it soon ended as he saw a bright light under him. The walls were now spinning a vivid electric blue. His hair was blowing in his face; his shirt almost flew over his head as the violent winds continued to erupt.

In a flash, he felt his bottom hit something hard. He groaned and then stood up. He looked around and saw that he was in what seemed to be a tunnel. He heard the sound of water flowing off in the distance. There was a wooden walk way, which reminded him a little of a dock. He could see that there was a right turn ahead, and was curious to find out what was around the corner.

All of the sudden, he saw the white rabbit that he followed approach him. The rabbit seemed old. He was wearing a blood red and black vest. He had on a top hat between his big ears; one ear flopped down a little. The rabbit pulled out his pocket watch from its vest pocket and glanced at it. He then glanced at Riku.

"You're not Alice," the rabbit spoke.

"No, but I'm here to help—"

"When you find her, tell her that she's very late!"

"What does she look like?"

"What is your name?"

"I asked you first!"

"You will know when you see her."

Riku was now getting annoyed. But he stayed calm and leered at the rabbit.

"My name is Riku," he said calmly. "And you?"

"Just call me Rabbit, please. Now, Alice is very late indeed," Rabbit said. "Tell her that when you find her—oh! I'm late myself! Good bye, Riku." Rabbit then hopped away before Riku could say anything.

"So you're Riku," said a soothing male voice. Riku jumped and just noticed that there was a cat sitting right before him. The cat was creepy looking; he almost looked like he was a skeleton. His head looked bigger than his body. It was grossly sick to Riku. The cat's eyes were as aggressive as a tiger's but soft as a puppy's. They were an emerald color, almost looking like jewels. His legs were skinny while his paws were large and his nails were long and razor blade sharp. His long tail was moving back and forth slowly. Riku noticed that the cat had one gold hoop earring through one of its ears; on the other ear, he saw that there was a small chip, like it got bit off. But the one thing that stuck out the most was the cat's smile: it was devious, not mischievous.

"Cheshire Cat, I assume," Riku said with a smirk. He always liked the Cheshire Cat.

"Hmm," the Cheshire Cat said amused, "I knew you were a smart boy, Riku." The Cat's voice was calm, soothing, but dark. It didn't sound like a demon was possession his voice, but it had the eerie and trance tone to it.

"So who is Alice that Rabbit speaks of?"

"Alice saved Wonderland last time…about a few years ago."

"What's happened to Wonderland? I thought it was supposed to be happy?"

"The Red Queen." That's all the Cat said. Riku understood what he meant. "Now, Riku, pursue Rabbit. He knows a thing or two that can help you get out of this place quick and easy."

The Cheshire Cat then disappeared. Riku sighed and said, "Great, I have to hunt down the little rodent now…." He began to walk forward. He rounded a corner and saw a small village. "Um…."

"Riku—"

Riku jumped again and saw the Cat sitting on one of the ramps to a shop. The Cat spoke again, "You must get through the Fortress of Doors to get to the woods. This is just a village that sort of lives in the mines, which is underneath the forest."

Riku saw Rabbit grow very small and go through a small doorway. He gaped at the sight and then growled.

"I hate him," Riku said.

"Get over your hatred and focus," hissed the Cat; his devious smile remained on his face. "The door Rabbit went in leads to a hall where there are _more_ doors." The Cat looked around for a moment with its glowing eyes. Riku felt a chill go down his spine as the Cat flashed his eyes back to his direction. "Doors have locks. Locks have keys, in which you don't have. Let's hope the doors are open."

"But I need to go in _that _door—" Riku pointed to the small door Rabbit went through "—before I get any key. You know, I could use my magic—"

"Try and you'll end up dead. Your magic works different in Wonderland. The darkness is a lot more powerful in this world than you think, boy. The Heartless from your world have been swarming this land. They'll detect you in an instant if you use your magic. They don't know you're in Wonderland. You can't cheat your way around here. Cheating has consequences, even though you think that you won't get caught."

"How can I trust you?"

"The real question is can you trust your instinct to trust me?" the Cat asked as he raised one of his paws as a gesture to look around. "Who else is there to trust at the moment?"

Riku sighed. The Cat was right: who could he trust? The Cat spoke again, "Be wise and reject your ignorance and skill. Use your knowledge and wits."

_Reject what you want and think of what you need_, Riku thought. "Where do I get the key to the Fortress of Doors?"

"You need to get small, first," the Cat said.

"Is there a way out of this place?"

"Through the Fortress of Doors…this is through that small door. Let me say that that door is _locked. _You need to become small and get a key to open it."

_Doors have locks. Locks have keys in which you don't have…._

"You're saying that I am stuck here if I don't go through that door?" Riku asked as he pointed to the door.

"You should've thought twice before jumping down the rabbit hole."

Riku glared at the devious cat that was still smiling.

"Where do I get these items of nonsense?"

"You need to make a potion."

Riku looked around for a moment. He saw small people walk with heavy loads on their backs. He could feel a wave of misery come through.

"Misery and happiness do not dwell under the same house," the Cat said as he noticed Riku looking at the unhappy villagers.

"I can see that," Riku said. But he had a feeling that there was no way of getting a potion from these people._ Potion means ingredients. But when I'm making the potion I need to mix it and I need the right tools for it. These people do not look that educated to have a lab…Wait, laboratory. I need a lab. _He could see a child dragging his feet as he walked home with a tear stained face. _Children go to school…school means classes….Lab…Science…Chemistry. _He looked back at the Cat who was waiting patiently. "What about alchemy?"

"Hmm," the Cat hummed, "I'm glad that you _did _bring your wits. Alchemy is simple chemistry but a little bit more complicated which is what _you _are going to perform."

"I saw a child walking by…is there a school here?"

"Yes, there is." The Cat's tail wouldn't stop moving back and forth. Riku watched it for a while, and fell into a small trance. "There is a guard tower north of here. Be careful though, to the royal guards of this realm, we are all victims in-waiting."

"Is there a _door _that leads to the school?"

"You catch on _too _quickly," the Cat said sarcastically. Riku rolled his eyes.

"So I go—?"

But the Cat was gone. Riku growled under his breath and proceeded north. He didn't need to apply his knowledge and wits at the moment; he traded it in for skill. He quickly made his way around the village without the card guards noticing. His skill in stealth wasn't magic, but he had to use the shadows for assistance. He and darkness go hand-in-hand.

He soon made his way to the tower. As he approached the entrance, a royal guard spotted him. The card man ran towards Riku. The royal guard tried to attack him, but Riku summoned the Way to Dawn in time, and blocked the guard's attack. It was too easy for him. With one slice, he sliced the guard into two. Blood splattered from the guard, which was quite disturbing to Riku.

"Next time its fifty-two card pick up," Riku said to the dead guard. He opened the door to the tower slowly. When the inside seemed clear, he slipped in. He looked up and saw rafters. He smiled at his discovery. "Perfect." He jumped and grabbed onto the support beam. He pulled himself up and walked on the beams stealthy. He passed over a few royal guards, and had to pause a few times for the guards stopped right below him. He finally made it to the end.

Riku glanced down and saw the door to the room open. He heard two royal guards talking. Though he wasn't supposed to use his magic, he pressed his forehead against the wall, and was able to see right through it. There was a royal guard of Diamonds and a royal guard of Clubs.

"So where is that girl, anyway?" Clubs asked.

"I think some guards put her in detention hall. She's going to love that. Cheating has consequences," Diamond said with a smirk.

"Some hero she is," Clubs snorted. "Do you think that the torture is going to be quick or slow?"

"I think slow…I wish I can see that blonde scream…well, come on now. We need to see how the dimwitted villagers are going about."

The guards exited the room. Riku waited for them to leave and listened until he couldn't hear anything but his own breathing. He jumped down from the beams and went inside the room.

"The blonde," the Cat said as he appeared on the table. "Pursue her for now."

"She's the only one I can pursue, because the stupid rabbit left me," Riku said. He glared at the door that was on the opposite wall.

"Rabbit was late. And you'll be late too if you don't save the girl." The Cat disappeared again, leaving Riku alone…again.

Riku walked up to the door and opened it. He saw nothing but a portal. The colors were swirling together slowly, making him sick.

"Goofy and Donald sound good right about now…." But then he thought of their clumsiness and how loud and annoying they get. It was nice of them to help the king by being loyal and fight…but they were annoying as hell. Riku scratched out the thought, and was happy that he was alone. But as he looked back at the portal, he felt a little regret. "I should've thought twice before jumping down the rabbit hole," he told himself. He then entered the portal while closing the door behind him.

* * *

This is a side project I'm working on. So, it's not going to update as fast. I'll only really write in this if I have writer's block on my other stories...

Inspired by the Wonderland Series and American McGee's Alice game, this story was created. There is going to be another story about Wonderland, but it is not going to follow this story and it's going to be a AU featuring Kairi as the main character. But that one will start after I finish Room 696...which I need to write in.

If you want a view of the Cheshire Cat, look up American McGee's Alice. I love that Cat so much. I had to put him in XD I am in love with his voice. I don't know what genre I'm going to put it in...maybe Horror...yes, I think I will.

_Doors have locks. Locks have keys, which you don't have. Let's hope the doors are open. _That's from the Cat in the game. I love that line so much I had to put it in the story.

And those who read Room 696 will be delighted. Hopefully. Riku isn't going to meet Alice Liddell. Oh no. He's going to meet a _different _Alice who is older...:D I'm so excited.

**PLEASE COMMENT. NO FLAMES OR I WILL PUSH YOU INTO A PIT OF LAVA! RAWR!  
**

Have a nice day :D

_The **Insane **DivineRose**2392**_

We're all mad here...


	2. The Wrong Alice?

Check out my playlist in my author's note at the bottom, so you can have some music to listen to while reading

* * *

Chapter Two

The Wrong Alice?

Riku felt his face smash into something hard as he landed on what seemed to be a stone ground. He shook his head as he stood up, and gathered his brain and roaming thoughts. He had a terrible headache from the crash. He let his eyes adjust and saw that he was standing under what seemed like to be a roof to a tower. But in front of him, there was a path. He took a step out of the room and saw that he was standing on a walk way that was on top of a wall that surrou-nded a large building. They were floating in the middle of nowhere. They were in another realm of Wonderland.

"Oww," Riku said. He rubbed the back of his head as he felt it swirl again.

"Get use to it," the Cat said as he appeared on what seemed to be ledge of the wall. His green eyes were slowly turning gold. "You'll be going through many doors like that."

"Can't Wonderland just be connected?"

"Then it wouldn't be Wonderland, would it?"

"So where is this girl?"

"This school serves more than nasty lunches. Laboratories are especially fascinating if you can stand the vile stench."

"That didn't answer my question," Riku muttered as he looked down upon the school.

"And?"

"You're supposed to be helping me."

"True, but we're all insane here. I give you insane answers."

"You're going to drive me insane."

"That's common here, you know. Especially at this school—watch the guards! They're coming this way." The Cat disappeared and left Riku alone with the royal guards that were running towards him. He drew his sword and started to charge towards them. One of the guards fired off what seemed to be a flaming missile from his staff. Riku dodged out of the way and used magic to teleport right behind the guard. He sliced him in half and avoided the blood before it splattered on him. As he sliced through the other royal guard, he found that Heartless appeared behind him. He cursed under his breath and started to charge towards them like he did for the guards. But as he killed them, more started to appear; he soon found himself surrounded. They started to come towards him at once, and he now believed what the Cheshire Cat said; the Heartless are a lot stronger. He heard a scratching noise, like nails on a chalkboard. He saw the Heartless vanish right before his eyes. Riku glanced over and saw the Cat with his nails in the ground. He had a dark look in his golden eyes. The Cat sat up, like he usually did; his tail wasn't moving back and forth.

"That was fun," the Cat said. Riku eyed the Cat's long nails and saw that the blood was still there and it was shining, despite the fact that there was no sunlight. "Please, do avoid _that _in the near future. I hate getting dirty."

"You're half dead, you're in a world surrounded by many dirty things, and there are hundreds of guards and Heartless on our asses. So please, _don't _avoid getting dirty in the near future."

"Watch your temper, boy. Lose it and the darkness will feed off of it."

"I'm perfectly calm."

"We'll come back to this later, but right now we need to find the insane girl."

"She can't be _that _insane."

"Riku, again, we're all insane here, not mad." The Cat paused for a brief moment. "We're going to have to enter through that window," the Cat said pointing to the window to their right. Riku looked over the edge and looked down into the dark abyss.

_No pressure. If I miss, I get to fall into a dark abyss that probably leads to darkness…that makes it easier, _Riku thought sarcastically.

"Don't fall," the Cat said, "or we're doomed."

"I get it…can't I just teleport in there?"

"If you must, but the Heartless will be hunting for you."

"…On second thought, jumping sounds good."

The Cat disappeared and then reappeared at the large window that was the size of a house. Riku glared at him. But the Cat just grinned even wider. It seemed that the school was tilting towards Riku. As soon as the school was close enough, he jumped and caught the ledge of the window sill. He pulled himself up, and rolled into the building. He felt the school shift, and he went sliding to the other side of the room as the building straightened up.

"I'm your ally, not your foe. Did you really think I would let you fall?" the Cat asked; his tail was moving back and forth again slowly. "Losing our last hope isn't a good plan."

"You're such a….a…."

"What?"

"…Nothing. You know what?" Riku paused for a minute as he glared at the Cat. "…Never mind. Let's find this girl and get out of here."

"You don't even know _where _she is."

"In detention—"

"Yes, but _where_ is the question you should be asking yourself."

"You know _where _she is, don't you?"

"I'm a cat, not a physic. Just because I can make buildings tilt doesn't mean I can see past their walls." The Cat walked up to Riku slowly. "School is a place of learning. Misbehave and you may learn a thing or two." The Cat then vanished, yet Riku could still feel its presence.

"I wish he would stop talking in riddles," Riku muttered as he exited the room. He ended up in a long, wide hallway with many doors. "Either this world has an obsession with doors or it's trying to drive me mad….I'll just channel this girl's energy. It shouldn't be too hard to pick out her heart." He closed his eyes and began to focus his mind. He started to block out everything but the innocent sound of a certain bell. It was easy for him to pass through the darkness; yet, he sensed a lot of it in the school. "Guide me to her…." He started to hear a faint ringing sound. He opened his eyes and continued to hear the faint noise.

He proceeded forward and entered a door on his left. He seemed to have entered the History classroom. The desks were pushed against the walls and there was a holographic sphere in the middle of the room that glowed brightly. Riku shut the door behind him. The sphere was larger than he expected. It nearly took up the whole room. He realized that it was a map of Wonderland. He saw all the different realms and how some were separated when they were all supposed to be connected.

Suddenly, the door opened and a child started to walk in. He had his arms stretched out in front of him, and his movement was slow. A metal clasp was around his face, and his eyes were wide open and bloodshot.

"Don't worry," the Cat said as he appeared on the desk nearest to the door, "the child has gone insane, but he is lost in his own world. He has no clue that you are here. Just let him roam."

"Are all the children in here like that?"

"Yes…except for the girl, that's if you save her!"

"I don't know where she is—!"

The door busted open again, and there were the royal guards. "Oh no…." Riku withdrew his sword. "Bring it, punks!"

The guards charged forward, but Riku flipped over them and escaped the room. He ran down the hall, and went through the large double doors at the end. He entered a circular room that was three stories high, and had a giant wooden staircase in the center of the room. The room looked like the inside of a tree with dull lights that were lit by what seemed to be fireflies. There were more royal guards, and they started to charge after him.

"Up here!" he heard the Cat shout from above. Riku raced up the staircase, fighting guards and blowing up pieces of the room with his magic; he finally made it to the third story. He saw a guard coming after him. Riku stuck out his hand and shot blue flames out from it. It scorched the guard and it gave Riku a chance to escape. But his chances were blown as he saw that he was cornered on both sides. Royal guards were coming closer to him and there were Heartless to back them up.

"I thought there were only fifty-two cards to a deck! How can there be more?!" Riku asked aloud.

"This place is about to collapse if you make one more move," the Cat said as he appeared by Riku's side. "You misbehaved and you know have to face the consequences."

"You tricked me!" Riku hollered at the Cat as the guards came closer to him. They were moving slowly, because they were afraid of his attacks.

"No, I'm helping you."

"Oh yeah, getting me in trouble helps."

"But just think of what happens to you when you get in trouble." The Cat then disappeared. Riku thought for a moment while still holding his defense. If he could solve the alchemy riddle from earlier, then he can certainly solve this one. It didn't take him long to figure out what the Cat was talking about. He understood that if he misbehaved, then they would take him to Alice. He had to land himself in detention. He made his sword disappear and he put up his hands showing that he was surrendering.

"We should take him to the Queen," said one of the guards as he stepped forward. He was an Ace of Clubs.

"But he destroyed school property," said another guard who was a Three of Diamonds. "We should throw him in detention."

"Oh no!" Riku said in a tone of fear that sounded more monotone, "Not detention! Anything but that!"

He felt the guards grab his arms; he also felt a bag cover go over his head and he was now in darkness. The guards took their sweet time leading to wherever they were going to. They were pulling him roughly along, and almost tripped him a few times. Riku felt himself going up and down steps and slopes. His skin started to freeze as he entered a new room. He felt them take the bag off of his head, and then kicked him further into the room. He caught himself before he fell. The door closed as the guards left. The cell was small and dirty; it was covered in blood stains, dirt, and even rust. There was also an irritating dripping noise. He was in the cell with someone else. There was a girl in the corner; her back was to him, and her forehead was pressed against the wall.

"Hey," Riku said, walking up to her. As he was about to place a hand on her shoulder, she whirled around and tried to stab him with a long sharp knife. Riku caught her wrist with one hand and forced the knife out of her hand by twisting her wrist.

"Ahh!" she cried. She finally dropped the knife. "Let go of me!"

"Shh!" Riku hushed harshly. The girl tried to punch him with her free hand, but he pushed her against the wall. He placed his hand over her mouth. "Be quiet! I'm here to help!" The girl shook her hand and freed herself from Riku's silencing hold.

"No you're not! You're one of the guards!"

The girl managed to get her wrist free. She held out her hand and the knife appeared right back in it.

"Do I look like a guard to you?" Riku asked coldly. He summoned his sword and the girl seemed a little taken back. He took a step back. The girl stood there very still, the knife tight in her hand. _This is going to be difficult, _Riku thought.

The girl started to run towards him, and tried to stab him; he dodged out of the way just in time. If he attacked her, she would take it the wrong way, and then she would never trust him. But he could hear the ringing noise from before loud and clear. So it _was _her. She tried to stab him again, but he caught her. They both swayed back and forth violently. He soon found himself on the ground and his hand accidentally landed on her chest. Both of them looked at his hand. He felt his face turn red and the girl's face flushed. Riku got off of her quickly before she stabbed him. "I'm so sorry!" he said. He held up his hands and showed her that he was not going to attack. "I'm here to help you. You can try to kill me all you want when we get out of here, but right now, I need you to trust me."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Who else is there to trust?"

The girl pondered on the thought for a moment. Riku felt her eyes bore into his. He saw her slowly put the knife down to her side. It soon disappeared from her hand. In exchange, Riku put away his sword; they were now weapon-free.

"How do we get out of here?" she asked hesitantly. Riku peered out the barred window and saw guards patrolling the halls. He stuck out his hand to the bars and whispered, "Silence." He felt a wave of air past through him.

"What did you do?"

"Silenced the room. The guards won't hear us speaking. They're patrolling the halls, and I don't want to get into anymore trouble than I'm already in—"

He stopped talking as he stared at the girl. She wasn't a little girl. She was a teenager with shoulder length white-blonde hair, very pale skin and piercing light, green eyes. She seemed tall, but was still shorter than Riku. She had a perfect body, like a god sculpted it; thin and slender. Riku looked at her hands and they seemed delicate. He noticed that she had a few cuts and bruises on her glowing skin; some of them light, and others were deep into the flesh.

She had on a pair of blue jeans that seemed too long for her. Her shoes were white skateboarding shoes but had a drawn on checkered pattern; Riku assumed that she drew that on herself. She had on a white tank top and a black hoodie, which was tied around her waist. His eyes traveled to her slender neck and saw a silver chain with a small silver key as a charm.

He stared into her eyes again, and saw that she had a soft but sad look in them. She was the most beautiful girl that he has ever seen. It was as if she fell from the heavens. There was something about her that drew him in. It wasn't her flawless looks….

"Um," Riku said as he shook his head, "what's your name?"

"Alice."

"…You're not Alice Liddell, are you?"

"No, she is not," said the Cat as he appeared. He glanced at Alice. "My apologies for leaving you so soon, but I had to get _him—"_ The Cat's eyes leered quickly at Riku.

"So you've known her all along?"

"Correct."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"That's right."

"But you knew her location?"

"No I did not. I had to find you, and I found her through you. She didn't stay put, so I didn't know where she was."

"And where the hell have you been?" Riku asked.

"So many questions. Have you ever heard of the expression, 'Curiosity killed the man'?"

"It's killed the cat, actually," Alice corrected.

"I know, but I was trying to avoid that…." the Cat said.

"First you get me in trouble, and then you leave me to the guards!" Riku said. He then thought about how the Cat said not to lose his temper.

"You found her, didn't you? You should be thanking me."

"Well, _thank you,_" Riku forced out. He glanced over at Alice.

"You've got the wrong Alice, I'm afraid," Alice said. "I'm not Liddell."

"No, we got the right Alice, Alice," the Cat said smoothly. "Alice Liddell gained her sanity back and grew up. _You _have not."

"I'm not insane!"

"Last time I checked, you were—"

"But this doesn't make sense! It sounds like you just grabbed a random person!"

The Cat sighed gently; his devious smile still remained on his face. He crept closer to Alice until he was sitting in front of her. She seemed content and not afraid of him.

"There is this unlocked potential that you haven't untapped yet. Your anger is still locked away—"

"What am I angry about?"

"Your past."

Alice froze in place. Her skin was now snow white.

"Because of that," the Cat continued, "you are still a child, or you still _want _to be, for your childhood was ruined. You haven't grown up yet, Alice. You are insane enough to figure out riddles and puzzles. You're _a lot_ smarter than Alice Liddell, but you are just as curious as her. Honestly, I'd rather trust an insane person because they speak the truth…or because they are the best liars. You should trust this boy; he was crazy enough to come here and find you."

Riku cast the Cat a dark glare.

"So I'm here because I'm crazy?" Alice asked. It sounded like she was about to cry. Riku could see that she was recalling her dark past.

"Only the insane equate pain with success."

Alice didn't say anything back to the Cat. She looked off towards the dirty wall. The Cat sighed again and then looked at Riku.

"I'll let you know when it's clear. Meanwhile, you can…get to know each other," he said. The Cat then disappeared. Alice seemed to be thinking of something painful, because her hands were curled into fists.

"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier," Riku said to her. She finally looked at him with a quizzical look. "When I fell on you, and accidentally….well…."

"It's okay," Alice said with a soft smile. She sat down on the dirty floor and Riku joined her. He seemed a little surprised by her kindness; he thought she was going to be mean towards him.

"So who are you?" he asked.

"Alice Madden. And you?"

"My name is Riku."

"Well, it's nice to meet you."

"How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen."

_Huh, she's just my age, _Riku thought.

"And you?"

"I'm also seventeen."

"Why are you here?" Alice asked.

"I was sent here. You see, I come from a world where we go to clear out these dark creatures named Heartless, and put the world back in order."

"This place is like…another world then?"

"Right."

"So when I came here, I entered another world?"

"Yeah, like a mirror. On the other side of it is a world. That kind of thing. Once we clear this world, we can go back to living our normal lives until I have to go into another world."

"I can't believe that Wonderland is real…I mean, I've read the books and did so much research on what the author was really thinking…." Alice chuckled lightly and smiled. "When I was little, I always wanted to go to Wonderland. I wanted to chase the White Rabbit, talk to the Cheshire Cat, and even meet the Red Queen so I could play croquet."

"We're in an alternative world of it, unfortunately," Riku said. "But your wish will come true once we restore it." Riku felt good right about now; he was starting over with Alice, for they had got off the wrong foot moments ago.

"You think so? Because I can't wait to go and have tea with the Mad Hatter and March Hare, and maybe the Dormouse, if he's not sleeping….I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I'm sharing my silly dreams."

"That's alright. I don't mind. I think they're very cool. At least you have a dream."

"You don't have one?"

"I'm too busy to have a dream…the darkness would get to my dreams. I have to focus more on what my job is than what I want."

"You're not dreaming of getting out of here?"

"I've been in worse situations. This isn't as bad as I expected, but it's still creepy."

"Are you really going to help me through this world?" Alice asked quietly. "You're not some soldier of the Red Queen, are you?"

"I'm only a soldier for you, Alice. Your one and only," Riku said with a wink. That seemed to have cheered her up. "I would never hurt you or turn against you, I promise."

"Thanks, Riku. I trust you…sort of."

"Ha, that's alright. It's going to take some time until you really trust me. I understand. I wouldn't trust me either if I was in your spot. I still don't trust the Cheshire Cat entirely."

"I agree. There's something about his smile that gives me chills."

"Alice, if you don't mind me asking, what happened in your past?" Riku asked. Alice sighed and bit her lip. "If you're not ready to tell me, then you don't have to. You don't ever have to tell me if you don't want."

"…Maybe when I'm ready, and when I trust you a little more I'll tell you."

"That's fine—"

The Cat appeared in between them. He was staring at the wall instead of them.

"A guard is going to come in and take you, boy," the Cat said to Riku, "it'd be wise to end his life. But I suggest you find a way for it not to be seen. Meet me in the library. Don't be late." He then disappeared.

"Hmm," Riku said. He looked over his shoulder at the door and then back at Alice. He stood up and held out his hand to Alice and she flinched as if she was about to get hit. Riku found that very strange; he knelt down on knee in front of her and held out his hand gently. "Do you trust me for the time being?" he asked quietly. He could sense the guard walking towards their cell; he could feel the vibrations of his footsteps.

He stared into Alice's light green eyes secretly begging her to trust him. There was something about her that made his heart pound quickly. She stared at his hand cautiously. Their eyes locked and it drew Riku in; Alice seemed to be drawn in too. She brought up her hand slowly and placed it in Riku's. Her delicate hand was very warm on his cold skin. With a smile, he helped her to her feet, and then grasped her hand tightly. "Don't let go." He felt Alice's other hand grab his free hand. Riku closed his eyes. The dripping sound stopped, and the walls started to turn black. He heard Alice gasp.

"Hopefully the Heartless won't expose us," Riku said as he opened his eyes. They were in the realm of darkness, but the door to the cell was still visible. He looked down at Alice and saw her looking around the darkness.

"We're not alone here," she whispered as she turned her back towards Riku. He could see her breath as she exhaled. Her grasp on his hands became tighter.

"Heartless?!"

"No…children." Her eyes were following something that he couldn't see. "There are lost souls here…I can feel it."

Riku figured that she was naturally gifted with a sixth sense. But he also figured that children can see things that adults cannot. Maybe if he tried acting like a kid again, he could see what she was seeing….But instead, he felt the soul of the guard, and let go of Alice's hands.

"Stay here," he whispered. He walked up next to the door and waited. He saw Alice staring at him from a distance. He heard the locking mechanism slowly opening and the door swung open with a loud creek. As soon as the guard stepped in the cell, he said, "Oi! Where did they go?!"

Riku grabbed him from behind, and decapitated him with one easy slice. The room started to return to normal. Riku shook the Way to Dawn and some of the blood got onto his clothes.

"Great," Riku said as he looked at the stains. He kicked the weightless guards to the side. He shrugged it off, "I'll probably get more anyway." He then looked at Alice and she came forward. She seemed a little timid at first, but he brought her long butch knife to her hand and looked up at him. "Do you still trust me?"

"For the time being, yes," she said boldly. They stepped out of the cell and Riku closed it behind them, locking the guard in there.

"Good…do you know how to get out of here? I had a bag put over my head when I was coming down here."

"Follow the insane one, if you dare," Alice said darkly but with a devious smirk. Riku found himself smirking.

"Lead the way."

With that said, Riku began to follow Alice up a long and steep slant; at some points they were walking down slopes. He could barely see, but he followed the sound of Alice's footsteps. It seemed a long way up. He finally heard Alice stop. He saw her open a small iron door slowly and peek her head out.

"They library is across the hall," she whispered. "We're going to have to be very quiet though."

"When don't we have to be quiet?" Riku asked.

"Before we go, we need to take out a few guards up top." Alice went through the door and Riku followed. They were in an exact replica of the room Riku was in before they dragged him away. Alice hid in the darkest part of the room, and took aim with her knife. She threw it and it hit the guard square in the head. The rest of the guards up top began to freak out, and they started yelling. The knife came back to Alice's hand. Riku saw it disappear; in exchange for her knife, she had a deck of playing cards in her hand.

"Have you ever played Fifty-two Card Pick-up?" she asked him quietly.

"No, but my friend has," Riku said, thinking of how he watched Sora pick up playing cards because Riku threw them on the ground after he lost.

"How many guards do you think I can hit?"

"Maybe…half."

"Oh," Alice giggled, "watch this." She threw all of the playing cards at once. Some of them landed in the walls or railings, but some hit the guards…all of the guards.

"I take back what I said," Riku said as all the cards came back to Alice's hand. She swapped them out for the knife again. The room began very quiet except for one of the insane children that just walked in the room. He was laughing like a maniac. "Creepy little child."

"Yes, but he's lost in his own thoughts…poor thing," Alice said sadly. "Well, shall we proceed?"

"Again, lead the way."

They ran to the other side of the room, jumping over dead guards that have fallen over railings. They reached two large doors that were made of gold. Alice placed her hand on one handle, and Riku placed his hand on the other. They caught each other's eyes for a split second before opening the doors.

* * *

Here's something interesting I found about Alice in Wonderland:  
_The children's tale was written by Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pen name of "Lewis Carroll". Several myths surround Dodgson's motivation to craft the tale, including theories on LSD experimentation, mental illness, and perhaps most disturbingly, pedophilia. However, most official accounts debunk these stories and point to a much more innocent and kind-hearted motivation._ _Dodgson, a lecturer on mathematics and logic at Oxford University, had embarked on a day-trip with a friend and the three young daughters of a colleague during the summer of 1862. One of the daughters, ten year-old Alice Liddell, was particularly beloved by Dodgson, and he cast her as the lead character in a fairy tale he created during a boat ride down the Isis river. It is interesting to note that this Alice Liddell was dark-haired, and may have resembled the Alice from the computer game more than the blond girl illustrated in the books and subsequent films. _

I just found that interesting and funny. So if this is alternate Wonderland...the mushrooms are really shrooms?...lmao, just kidding.

YAY! ALICE MADDEN IS BACK! If you _don't _know here, she is the little girl from my other story Room 696, except here, she is all grown up!...sort of. Her past is going to be different from Room 696's version, but her personality is going to be the same. She's my favorite OC that I've ever made (yes, I have more, but they're outside stories XD) I was going to put Alice from the game American McGee's Alice, but I liked my Alice better.

And when the Cheshire Cat means by, "You're a lot smarter than Alice Liddell" means that I wasn't insulting the _actual _Alice Liddell, but in the book...she's not that smart O.o, and I know she's a little girl, but her geography is WAY off. Though, I did like her in the movie...she's cute XD

I feel so bad for Riku XD I'm messing with his head.

Let's see, let's go to my Playlist:  
Someone Like You / Anywhere But Here...Safetysuit  
The Witches Mansion...Lost Odyssey soundtrack (listen to this creepy music while reading)  
I Believe in a Thing Called Love...The Darkness  
Into the Fire...Disturbed (also a good song to listen to while reading. I think it kinda surrounds Alice, and it may refer to later chapters)  
Breathe No More / Numb (Linkin Parks cover)...Evanescence  
I Just Can't Wait to Be King...Lion King Soundtrack (...don't ask)

Now, to write in other stories O.o

DivineRose2392

We're all mad here.


	3. Books Bite

Chapter Three

Books Bite

Riku and Alice pushed open the heavy set of doors. They swung open slowly, but it only opened up until they had enough room to slip in. Riku followed Alice, and watched as the door closed behind them. It closed slowly with a low booming noise when the locks met again. When he turned around, he watched Alice move to the center of the library. He caught up with her and looked up at what she was looking at.

There was no ceiling. The ceiling was a clear sky with stars that scattered across it. Books were fluttering about in the open ceiling, and some resting on bookshelves in their numerical spot. Riku heard Alice sigh gently and he glanced at her. He noticed a small nick on the side of her neck like someone had scratched her there.

"They don't have this kind of sky outside," she said.

"It will return once you renew this world," the Cat said as he appeared on top of a high bookshelf, "so you better work fast. Time is an issue here."

"I would've never guessed," Riku muttered.

"How can we get up there?" Alice asked quietly. "There is no staircase on the first floor…."

"How do you know?" Riku watched the Cat hop onto the railing of the second story. He watched the Cat stretch and he heard his joints pop.

"This is where I was caught—"

"You know," the Cat chimed in, "the books aren't the only things that will help you in a library."

"Can you help us?" Riku asked.

"Now, if I were to help you, you would become dependent of me, and would never be able to save us or yourself. You have a brain; use it!"

"You don't need a cat to solve your problem," Alice said quietly. She walked over to the bookcase that the Cat was near and examined it. Riku followed her and the two of them examined it. "We can climb it."

"Or better yet," Riku said as an idea popped up in his head, "we can push it so it leans against the railing, you know, make it a staircase."

"You're mind has made some progress. Congratulations," the Cat said.

Riku gave the Cat a dark glare.

"Can you help me?" Alice asked with a hint of annoyance in her tone. She was already at the book case, trying to push it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Allow me," Riku said as he lightly pushed her back.

"You're going to use you powers? But what about those dark demons—?" the Cat asked. Riku stuck out his hand.

"Not all of my magic is dark," he said. "And they're called Heartless—"

He was surprised that he sounded angry when he said that. It was like he taken offense to the Cat's comment. He then looked at Alice who seemed frightened by him, but didn't show it in her face; he read it in her eyes. The bookshelf began to lean backwards, and the Cat scurried out of the way before he got hit with it. "I'll go up first, just to make sure this is safe…."

Alice just nodded. Riku took a running start, and was able to climb it swiftly with no problem. He didn't know how Alice was going to do. As Riku put his foot on the railing, and jumped down, the Cat crawled over to him, and sat on the railing next to him.

"You're fast," the Cat noted.

"Yeah, but, is she?" Riku whispered.

"Oh, she's fast. Fast as a rabbit. And her wits are pretty fast too," the Cat said. As Riku looked down, he saw her run up the case quicker than he did. She was near him in a blink of an eye. She almost kicked the Cat as she hopped over the railing. She slightly smirked to herself.

"The book is not on any of these floors," the Cat said. "It's on none of these floors."

"You're a pain in the ass, Cat—!" Riku said, reaching out his arms, and making it look like he was about to choke the Cat. But Alice stamped on Riku's foot before he could commit his action. The Cat's smile grew wider as he watched Riku step back; the Cat seemed to enjoy him in pain. Alice glanced back at Riku while she spoke.

"What do you mean it's not here?" Alice asked calmly. Riku was trying to depict what fog lurked in her mind. Her head was blurry, and it was impossible for him to figure her out.

"It's in this library, but not on any of these floors," the Cat repeated as he walked on the railing so he was sitting between Riku and Alice.

"Then where is it?" Riku asked.

"It's up there," the Cat said as he tilted his head to the right. Riku and Alice looked over the railing and saw a floating platform high above in the middle of the room, which had a door on it. "Chemistry was a very dangerous class. Children would try and make drugs and sometimes sell them. They would even try and sell them to Hatter…." The Cat seemed unpleased as he said the Hatter's name. "They had to ban the class after a nasty explosion that resulted in forty-five people and creatures dead. The book to the small elixir is in there. To get up there you may just need other books to help you. Meet me in the lab when you have the book. Good luck." The Cat disappeared, leaving Riku with Alice.

"I think I know what to do," Alice said as her eye caught sight of a book fluttering; it flew into its place on a bookshelf below.

"Ride the books?"

"Not those kind of books, oh no. They're too small."

Alice walked past Riku, and the scent of winter candy apple filled his nose. And then the scent of blood followed and he scrunched up his nose. He watched her go down an isle of books. There was something about the blood stains on her tank top that made him believe that it wasn't from the guards. He heard her give a small yelp and a large book bigger than him came flying out slowly from the isle. It went past the railing and stopped in midair, just enough distance for Riku to jump to. Alice came back with a mortified look on her face. Riku saw that she was holding her hand and it was bleeding.

"Did it _bite_ you?" he asked as he walked up to her.

"Yeah," she said. She then brushed past him, leaving him confused. She was walking fast. "It's nothing but a scratch, really."

"A scratch?"

Riku caught up to her, turned her around and grabbed her bleeding hand; he looked at the teeth marks that pierced her hand. Alice stopped breathing, and held her breath. The feeling that Riku was getting from her was strange. She seemed scared by him.

"Still," he said as he placed his other hand over hers. Alice didn't move. "I better fix that." There was a green light that illuminated from under his hand. Once it was gone, Riku took his hand that was on top off. Alice's hand was healed; there were no teeth marks or blood. "Good as new."

"T-thank you," Alice said. She quickly took her hand back.

"You're welcome," Riku said slowly. He was fascinated by Alice, and wanted to know more about her. "How did that happen?"

"I accidentally hit the book with my foot and it snapped. I think it was sleeping."

"Sleeping? Since when do books sleep?"

"In this crazy place they do."

"We need to find more of those books. They seem like they make a staircase to the forbidden door up there."

"Do you think the door needs a key?"

Riku never thought about it. He didn't want to think about it.

"If so, and it's locked, then we'll figure out a way in…let's go looking for those books!" He went past her, and had no idea where he was going. He could feel that she was about to burst out laughing at his confusion, but she held it back. She went past him, and led the way. He followed her to the corner, where there was a small wooden elevator shaft. But just as he was about to step onto the platform, Alice turned around, and blocked him from entering.

"Is there a problem—?"

"Let's play a game," she said with a small smile. She had a sweet smile that Riku couldn't resist to. He bit his lip for a moment and then smiled.

"Okay, what's the game?"

"Every time the Cat helps us, like give us a hint, we have to tell each other one thing about ourselves. I need to know who my comrade is."

"Huh…fair deal."

"How about we say one thing about ourselves now, and then I'll let you on."

"Okay," Riku said. He was getting annoyed at the childish games she was playing. "I don't think you should trust me."

"Oh? And why not?" Alice asked. She had the strangest mood swings. She went from scared to curious. If she was going to keep it up, Riku may just try and leave this world. He wanted to get out of here just as much as she wanted to. But he remembered what the Cat said: he shouldn't lose his temper.

"I'm a murderer, Alice."

"…Then that makes two of us."

"I killed _people_. I stole their hearts."

"I know what a murderer is, Riku. I'm not an idiot. And I've killed a _person _before." Alice then stepped into the elevator; Riku didn't follow. "What? Are you scared that I'm going to kill you?" She made the knife appear in her hand. "Some girls used to play with dolls. I used to play with knives."

"That's a comforting thought," Riku said. But he stepped in the elevator and stared right into Alice's eyes.

"You're not scared?"

"I've looked death in the eye many times. I'm not afraid to die. I've got nothing to lose."

"Don't you have friends and family?"

"Remember: one thing only. That's going to have to wait."

Riku pulled the lever that was between them, and they started to go up slowly. Alice made her knife disappear. That made Riku feel better. But how could an innocent looking girl like her kill someone?

"You killed someone?" Riku asked.

"Remember: one thing only," she said, repeating his exact words.

"Yes, but it's under the murder category."

The elevator came to a halt on the third floor. The two of them exited the elevator; as soon as they were out, the elevator dropped down again. Alice made a face and then walked away.

"I did murder someone," she confirmed.

"You don't look like a murderer," Riku said as they walked down an isle. Alice turned around and blocked him from going any further.

"Neither do you."

"Really? Because I thought the silver hair would make you think otherwise."

"Silver hair or not, you don't look crazy enough to kill someone."

"Who did you kill?"

"That's going to have to wait," Alice said with a wink. There was another thing that Riku could figure out without her saying it: she knew how to play her cards right. She knew when to make him interested and stop at the point where he was getting annoyed. The Cat was right about her being fast in both agility and in wits. Alice was smart. Smarter than Kairi that was for sure; he wasn't saying that Kairi was stupid, but he was saying that Alice seemed like a mastermind compared to her. She was probably smarter than him. Compared to the young Alice Liddell that was once here when Wonderland was colorful and mad, Alice Madden was not as curious, but risky. She was tampering with darkness, seeing what his limits were.

"You're a wiseass," Riku said.

"I'm not going to deny that," Alice snickered.

"You really like to play around, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid, Alice—"

"I know."

"But I just want to know why you're playing with my head?"

"I—"

"It's not a fact, it's a question."

"I can't do magic like you can. I can't get into your head. I may be able to summon deadly toys but I can't tilt a bookshelf or going into another realm. Though I may have a six sense doesn't mean I'm powerful. So there's no way that I can get into your head. But, Riku—"

"Yes?"

"If you can do me a small favor…."

"And that is?"

"Stop trying to read my thoughts."

"I wasn't."

"I've had dead people talk to me in my head. I've heard from their whispers to their screams. Their wants and their needs. But your voice is easy to depict from the rest. It's as clear as a bell. It's not raspy or unclear. It's not easy to push out your force though, let me say."

"I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really. You said that you used to play with knives instead of dolls? What did you do? Cut off the heads of your Barbie because you were possessed by the devil?"

"Aren't you cute? I was raised Catholic, thank you very much. And I had stuffed animals instead of dolls. Dolls scared the hell out of me."

Alice started to walk down the row and Riku followed, trying to keep cheating at their little game. They were going through the rows slowly, looking in every nook and cranny for a giant book; it couldn't be too hard to miss.

"You seem like you don't believe in the religion," Riku said as he ran his fingers along the books on the shelves. One of them almost bit them, and another almost smacked him in the face as it fluttered off of the shelf.

"I'm not an extremist. And what religion are you?"

"I don't know. And I don't care."

"Again, that makes two of us."

"Or really one and a half, because you know what religion you follow."

"Either this place is hell or it's the first circle of it. Then again, it's better than reality."

"You think so?"

"I don't know, but hey. What do I know about reality? My life was a living nightmare."

"Really?"

"When I'm ready to tell you what happened to me, then I'll tell you. You're a cheater, Riku. It was supposed to be one thing only."

"Hey, you got a few things out of me too. We're even right now. I better play my cards right to know more about you, I guess…I better find that Cat."

"And I better play mine if I'm going to know about my murderer for a partner."

"Now you're going to label me that way?"

"No, I didn't label you that way. You said yourself that you're a murderer."

Alice made a face of disappointment when they reached the last corner of the third floor. "I'm pretty sure the books are in the back…." She leaned up against the bookshelf and got pushed back suddenly. Riku caught her before she fell to the ground.

"What happened?"

"What does it look like?!"

"What pushed you?"

"I don't know. I think it was the bookshelf. It felt more like a force than the bookshelf itself."

"I bet that there's something behind it."

"You think?"

"I don't know who is more of a wiseass: you or the Cat."

The bookcase started to shake, and some of the books on the shelf fluttered away. Riku and Alice ducked as they flew over them. When they looked up, there was only one book left on the shelf. Riku left Alice and walked over to it. But as soon as he touched the book, he got shocked and flew backwards. Alice ducked again, and he flew over her and slid a few feet out of the isle.

"Did you know that that was going to happen?" Riku asked as he sat up.

"No, I didn't," Alice said as she stood up. "Just because I can hear dead people's voices in my head doesn't mean that I have premonitions, Riku. Can't you use your force to maybe tilt the book or maybe take it off the shelf?"

"I-I can try."

Riku held out his hand, and immediately the book flew to it. But nothing happened to the shelf. He examined the book in his hand, but it was just a book on how to breed Bread Butterflies.

"Nothing," he said.

"Um, Riku," Alice said. Riku looked up, and the bookshelf started to swing open, but only to a crack. Alice started to walk up it. She grabbed the edge, and looked back at Riku who gave her a slight nod. She began to pull back; the bookcase was heavier than it looked. Just as she was about to open it all the way, the bookcase flew open, and it crushed her against the other bookcases behind her; it wouldn't let her go.

"Alice!" Riku yelled. As soon as he reached the edge of the bookcase, he stopped as he heard something growl at him. There, behind what Alice had pulled back, was a giant book. It had eyes and its pages had ripples in it for a mouth. What scared him the most was that it had teeth. It was snarling at him. He took a step back. "Alice? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," she muffled behind the staircase. "But hurry up! This thing is crushing me!"

As Riku took another step back, the book moved forward. It was either that he got hurt or Alice would get her bones crushed. He started to walk backwards and the giant monster book started to come out. It then started to fly straight towards him, and before he could jump out of the way, it knocked him over, its teeth just grazed over his arm. Riku looked at the book that just bowled him over, and it fluttered to its place after the first giant book. It was starting to look like a staircase. He looked over to the opened bookcase, ignoring his bleeding arm.

"Alice?" Riku asked. He took the edge of the bookcase and started to pull it back. It got lose from his grip, and snapped shut back into place. He watched Alice slouch up against the wall, and then slid down until she was sitting. She was catching her breath. "Are you alright? No broken ribs?"

"None that I know of," she breathed. "The only good thing I got out of it is that it cracked my back." She stared at his bleeding arm, but to him, it wasn't too bad.

Riku held out his hand, and she looked at it. She then accepted it. As she grasped his hand, he pulled her to her feet. The scent of winter candy apple burned his nostrils again in a good way. Breathing her scent in made his head swirl. As they dropped hands, he saw her pale green eyes staring right into his.

At least he wasn't looking into the eyes of death.

She didn't look like a murderer.

"Let's go find the other books."

"Is there a fourth story?"

"Yeah, follow me."

Riku followed her like how a puppy follows its master. He stared at her the whole time he trailed behind her. He watched her pale blonde hair swing back and forth slightly as she walked. And he couldn't help but catch another whiff of her scent. It was like a drug, and it was now making him addictive to it. Not even the scent of darkness was this sweet. The soft bell ringing from her heart was making his heart beat fast. He hasn't felt the presence of a pure heart in a long time.

Alice led him to another elevator. As they stepped in she said, "I hope this one works." Riku's hand gripped the lever and he pulled it back. With a quick jerk from the elevator, they flew straight up. With another jerk, it came to a sudden halt as it stopped at the fourth floor.

But the sight that they saw on the fourth floor made Riku's heart stop and Alice's pale skin go white as snow. There was a giant book sitting just a few inches from them. Its teeth were showing, and it was snarling at them.

"Going down!" Alice yelled. She pulled the lever forward quickly, and they shot down just before the book bit them. They went down so fast, that Riku felt his feet lift up, and he was free falling. But he felt the shock go strike up his legs as his feet slammed onto the wooden platform. The sound of something growling made him look up from his numb feet.

Facing them just like upstairs was another giant book. Or maybe it was the same book. Riku gaped.

"What the fu—" he began.

"Going up!" Alice yelled. Riku placed his hand on the lever, but Alice beat him to it; his hand was over hers now. They both pulled the lever back, and they shot up again. When they reached the fourth floor again the book was there. "We need to jump over it."

"Are you crazy?"

"Yes."

Alice took a leap of faith; she jumped on top of the book, almost getting bit in the process. The book turned around in her direction, but she was already sprinting away from it. It took off for her, flying at a high speed. Riku followed it. He followed it down an isle, and then he tackled it, trying to press it close. They knocked over the shelf that was next to them, but it fell the other way, not crushing them.

He had to close its giant trap. The only odd thing about this was that he started to wrestle it. Wrestling a giant book must be a sport at this school. But the bad thing about it was that when he tackled it, the book landed right on Alice, and she was stuck underneath. The book was snapping at Alice, trying to bite her neck. As Riku stuck his hands right under the roof of its papery mouth, he pulled up. Meanwhile, Alice had a grip the lower part of its mouth. He pulled back further until he heard a ripping sound. Hopefully, he thought, it wasn't his pants.

To his surprise, the book seemed to stop struggling, and it slowly started to close its mouth. Riku removed his hands as well as Alice. The book slipped from under him, and Alice gave a loud, "_Oof!" _as he landed on her. He quickly got off of her.

"This is so not my day," Alice groaned. She rolled on her side. "You kicked me in the ribs when you were wrestling…."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry—"

"It's okay." She got up slowly and dusted herself off. Then, she examined her hands to make sure that she didn't have any puncture wounds. Riku patted his butt to make sure his pants didn't rip. As he looked up, Alice's pale green eyes were wide.

"Um…yeah," was all Riku could say. "Just making sure my pants didn't rip."

"I see…."

Riku broke the awkward silence between them by walking away. They looked over the railing and saw that they were able to make it over to the floating platform. The giant books were hovering, and they didn't seem to have teeth anymore. But Riku had to be cautious. He looked over at Alice who was staring at the door.

"Hey, Riku," she said.

"Yes?"

"Early, when the Cat was talking about those Heartless…you seemed angry."

"When I'm ready to tell you my story, then I will. It's something that you don't need to hear right now."

"How come?"

"One, it's cheating. One thing only, remember?"

"Oh, right…."

"And two, you may just think totally different of me. I'm not who I seem to be."

"I see," Alice said. She paused, still staring at the door on the floating platform, completely mesmerized by it. Riku examined her; for someone who was very pale, she was very pretty. One may think she looked part albino or was dead. But the pale look was right for her. Her cheeks had a light pink tint to them as well as her lips. What sent shivers down his spine were the cuts and small bruises that she had on her exposed skin. It definitely wasn't from the guards. Her eyes locked with his, and he looked away, embarrassed that she caught him looking at her. "Let's go, we need to go back down to the second floor."

Without saying anything, he agreed. They went back to the elevator, and went back down. They reached the railing, and Riku hopped on it. He then jumped onto the levitating book; it didn't move. It didn't snap. It just hovered. Alice followed closely behind him as he jumped onto the second book. He jumped onto the third one, and then took a long leap to the platform. He glanced back at Alice, and beckoned her to come on. She took a running start, and leapt across. It was like she was on the track team she did it so well.

Riku approached the door, and put his hand on the knob. It felt hot under his palm, and he turned it. He heard a clicking noise, and he pushed the door open. The two of them entered the room, and Alice shut the door behind her. The only problem that came up was that they had no idea where the book was. The restricted area was a lot smaller than the actual library.

"I see labels," Alice sang softly. She danced her way over to the bookshelf labeled Chemistry. They went down the row, avoiding fluttering books, and ones that tried to bite them. "Ah! Here we go! Elixirs!" She pulled a red covered book off of the shelf, and opened it to the table of contents. "Large…fat…invisible—"

"I like the invisible one."

"Small!" she cried. She flipped towards the middle of the book, and there it said in bold letters: Small Elixir. "Mushrooms, puppies, sugar, and spice. All those things are very nice. When combined the proper mixture makes a getting small elixir."

"That sounds unpleasant."

"Let's go to the lab. I know a shortcut."

They got out of the room, and went to first floor. They went all the way into the corner where there was a door. Alice turned the knob with her free hand, and pushed open the door. There was a staircase that led straight into darkness. Riku followed Alice up the stairs. It felt like they were climbing a mountain, and his calves started to burn. When it seemed like hours of climbing stairs, they made it to another door. When Alice opened that one, they were in a hallway with more doors.

"This is the science hall," she explained. "And I believe the Chemistry room is over there." She pointed at a door that had the numbers 696 on top. Riku opened the door for her, and she was right. It was the Chemistry room.

"Ah, good, you made it," the Cat said as he appeared on the wooden table in the center of the room. The door automatically closed behind Riku and Alice. There were no desks in the room. It didn't seem like a classroom, but it was close to a lab. "Did you two have any trouble?"

"Books bite," Riku said.

"Sorry to hear that you don't like to read."

"No, I mean that they really _bite_. You know, like try and take a chunk out of you."

"Ever heard of the saying, 'Music soothes a savage beast'? You see, if you sang to them, then they would've calmed down and not have attacked."

"And you couldn't tell us that before you disappeared?" Alice asked agitated. She slammed the red book on the wooden table.

"It slipped my mind," the Cat said.

"You're much help," Riku muttered.

"Shall I have Alice sing for you? Maybe it would calm you down."

"Are you calling me a beast?"

"The two of you need to grow up!" Alice snapped. "If you don't mind, I would love to get the hell out of this place."

"Sorry, Miss Alice," the Cat purred.

Alice flipped through the pages until she got to the right page. She then looked at the Cat straight into his devious eyes.

"If you don't mind, can you help us find these ingredients?" she asked. The Cat peered over to look at it.

"I got the mushrooms for you already," the Cat said, motioning over to the jar of mushrooms. "Puppies, sugar, and spice. You would find the last two in the cafeteria. And the puppy tails are in the gym."

"The gym?" Riku asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Where else did they train the beasts? You see, children would try and run away from here—"

"I wonder why."

"So they would send these bloody beasts on them. Here's a little hint: take the red spice and the brown sugar. That's what you need. And for the dogs…make sure you are ready to run. Good luck." The Cat disappeared.

"Great," Alice muttered. She looked down at the book. "Okay, fair is fair. One thing."

"Huh?"

"What's with the Heartless comment?"

"I told you, I can't tell you now…."

"Just tell me one reason why you got so angry."

Riku took a deep breath. Alice was drawing him in. He wanted to tell her everything about him, but he wasn't to fully explain. Explain of how he was truly a monster. He wasn't entirely ashamed of the power of darkness, but there are days he wished he never had it. It haunted him.

"The Heartless…they were once people. The thing is, is that you either become a Nobody or a Heartless. Or maybe even both, just like my friend Sora did."

"A Nobody?"

"It's a person that's your other half. But they don't have a heart."

"Wouldn't that be a Heartless though?"

"You could say that. It's someone who has lost their heart and then they are reincarnated into a form of darkness. Since they don't have a heart, they crave for one. They're not demons, they really aren't. They just don't know better. They have greed and gluttony for hearts because it's their natural instinct. Most of them are innocent people who are turned into them. And then their called demons, because of their behavior.

"I know what it's like to be lost in darkness. I know what it's like to be evil. I got angry because…." Riku stopped talking. He didn't know why he was telling Alice all of this. But he couldn't stop. He looked into her pale green eyes that were wide with interest and sympathy. "Because they were once innocent people. They are not demonic. They are just trapped in darkness. Though my friends have pulled me to the light side, I still have the power of darkness."

"Do you still feel trapped in darkness?"

The question took him off guard. He had never thought of that. Her eyes were serious, and she seemed so intrigued by him.

"Yes," he whispered. "I'm a monster, Alice. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not that much different from the Heartless."

"Maybe you'll change, you never know."

He would've come back with a negative remark, but he didn't. For some reason, he couldn't. Alice's optimism seemed to have brightened his thoughts. She was right, though. Maybe on this journey with her, things may just turn around.

"Maybe," he muttered. "But right now, I'm on a mission to restore this world and get rid of the Heartless. That's it."

"Well, fair is fair, so I'll tell you a little about me," Alice said. "I may not be like the person I seem to be. I didn't have the greatest teenage-hood, I should say. I've killed someone I knew, and I wasn't very proud of it, but I felt relieved. Is it okay to feel good after killing someone?"

"Depends on the situation," Riku said, blurting out an answer before even thought about it.

"Is it wrong, though?"

"Do you think you're being judged by your answer? I'm not judging you. I've been down your road."

"But did you feel good at the time?"

"When I was on the side of darkness, I did."

"But I was fully aware."

And Riku wasn't. Alice did have a point.

"But, I could now say that I am a monster too."

Behind that pretty face? Riku couldn't see her to be evil. But he didn't want to cheat again and ask her why she killed whoever she killed. Riku felt a small smile play along his lips, and it confused Alice.

"You're no monster," he said. "You're heart is too pure."

"How would you know?"

"I will tell you that another time," Riku said, still smiling. "We better get going. I really want to get out of here."

"So do I."

Riku and Alice exited the room. As Alice led the way, he stared at her again. How could she be a monster? She was far from it. The fog in her mind was extremely cloudy now, like a fog across the sea right before a storm. She wasn't a monster, but she was a mysteriously beautiful god. As much as he wanted to steal her Light, he couldn't. He would never.

* * *

WOW! I FINALLY UPDATED! I enjoy the fights between Riku and the Cheshire Cat. It's so much fun. Hope you guys liked this chapter! NOW FOR ROOM 696! GOD!

PLEASE REVIEW!

The Insane DivineRose2392

We're all mad here...

* * *


	4. What's the Lunch Special?

Chapter 4

What's the Lunch Special?

Riku couldn't decide if Alice actually knew where she was going. But then again, she did know the way to the chemistry lab. He let his mind wander, bringing up questions that he wanted to know the answers to. How did she get here? Exactly, why is she here? How come he got stuck in going to Wonderland?

Oh wait, he knew the answer to that one.

He let Sora and Kairi go to Neverland; it was one of Sora's wishes to take Kairi there. That's why he went to Wonderland. But Riku didn't regret it.

Yet.

He didn't trust Cat or even Alice fully yet. He couldn't say that about Alice though. She was just as confused and curious as he was. From what Alice had said before about her being a monster puzzled him deeply. Was she good at hiding her innocence? Or was she telling the complete truth? Besides her slight attitude and edginess that she gave him, she was probably the most innocent girl---

He took that back.

She wasn't entirely innocent. The way she took down the Royal Guards in the central room took away the pure act. But Riku rewound back even further to where she tried to kill him in her cell with a butcher knife that she could somehow conjure up.

Like he was thinking, though, Alice was probably the most innocent girl he's ever met.

He took that back again.

Namine came before her. Then after Namine it was Kairi.

Then Alice.

But then again, Kairi had gotten awfully close to Sora…and God knows what happened behind closed doors when they were together. The thought made him shudder slightly. So Kairi and Alice were tied for second.

"Hold on," Alice said quietly. Riku stopped behind her as they reached another set of double doors.

"You're sure you know where you're going?" Riku asked.

"I have a hunch," Alice answered with a shrug. "I think the cafeteria is this way…."

"You _think_?"

"It's like I know where it is…but I don't."

"Alice, you're a very difficult and confusing person, you know that? Don't start speaking like Cat now."

Alice rolled her eyes as she opened the door, leaving it slightly ajar. She poked her head in and Riku could only see darkness. But it gave him a chance to try and get inside her head while she was looking—

"Coast is clear," she whispered.

"Bizarre," Riku mumbled.

"Did you say something?" Alice asked, but in a kind tone, not in an "I heard that, but say it again just so I'm clear" way.

"Nothing," Riku said clearly.

He followed Alice into another room that looked like the central room they were in before sneaking into the library. How she was able to see in darkness when she couldn't see anything in her cell? What was he? Her personal Darkness flashlight? He wouldn't be surprised if she started glowing; she was so pale that she could probably somehow make her skin light up. Riku could see perfectly fine, even if the door closed behind them, leaving them in what felt like an abyss.

"Can you see?" Riku asked in a whisper.

Alice didn't answer. Could she not see? Could she even hear? Everything appeared in black and white to Riku at the moment, letting the rods in his eyes dominate over the cones. And it was also the fact that he's been in Darkness before that allowed him to see in it; he became it himself once.

"Alice?" Riku said.

"I can't see…." she said to him. "It's too dark in here. But I hear things…."

He's had that feeling before. He knows what it feels like to be blind, yet hear every sound crystal clear, not knowing what it was.

"You don't see any of those spirits?"

"No," Alice said as she shook her head. "But I hear them. They're scared of something.…"

She then went silent, and remained in her spot. By the way Riku could see her shaking, it looked like she was the one who was afraid of something. By taking a risk, Riku reached for her hand and grasped it gently. She didn't flinch nor take her hand away. She just merely looked up at him. Something flashed in Riku's brain, like watching a memory flash before him.

_She opened her eyes and her vision was very blurry. It took her a while to realize that she was staring up at the ceiling. She felt that her body was resting on top of her bed. Her fingers didn't feel the softness of her comforter as she grasped it. Her mind was fuzzy, and the world get swirling and stopping. Swirling and stopping. Through the fogginess of her thoughts, there was one that actually had stuck out:_

_She had been drugged._

Riku turned his gaze away from her, and kept calm on the outside. But Alice just squeezed his hand, holding it tight.

"Thanks for letting me see," she thanked quietly.

"No problem," Riku muttered back.

"I think it's this way. I'm pretty sure it is."

Riku couldn't figure out how she made decisions. She was always in between. But how he saw a slight memory of her—not just see it, but felt the numbness and dizziness of her being drugged—was a mystery that he would probably never figure out. Had he caught her off guard? Maybe when she was focusing on her sixth sense, if gave him the chance to actually get inside her head until she cut him off. The only other thing he could think of, of how he got in her head, was because she had let him. But that was a fat chance.

Alice pulled him along to the right, and they went through an oak door. It was dark in the wall too. Power outage? Was there a such thing here? Unless the school used fire for light.

"Why is there no light?" Riku asked. He didn't know if Alice would have the answer. They went took a quick left, and went through an arch way. They started to descend down a wooden spiral staircase that was wide.

"Some guards must've found out that we've escaped. So they—Whoa!"

Alice foot went through a wooden stair, but Riku grabbed her from behind before she tripped to her doom. She clung onto him for dear life, like she was hanging off of a cliff. There was one thing that Riku was certain about: Alice seemed to be vulnerable when she's in Darkness. He could hear her heart ring loudly as he listened in closely. The Heartless would've torn her apart if she was alone. Sooner or later, though, she would get used to seeing in Darkness without him.

"Would you like me to lead the way?" Riku asked her as he helped her get stable on her two feet again.

"I got it," Alice said with a hint of annoyance yet humiliation. She let go of him, except for his hand, and hopped over the missing step. Riku jumped after her and they proceeded downward.

"So what were you saying before?" he asked.

"They know this place like the back of their hand. Every brick, every stone, every piece of wood. If I didn't have you—if you've had never gotten me out of that cell or help me see—then they probably would've done something to me…." Her voice seemed to have trailed off at the end but Riku understood what she was saying.

He still couldn't shake the memory he got from her head. Maybe Cat knew something about her. Even though they were playing a silly game to tell each other about themselves, Riku wanted to at least know who he was actually dealing with. Her weaknesses? Her flaws? Had she planned this whole thing from the beginning? If Alice wasn't a traitor, and making him go through this hell for something, then he had to find out who he was protecting.

His thoughts seemed to have back fired on him though, as he thought about her heart. Even if she seemed innocent on the outside, but evil on the inside, he would've been able to have picked it up in an instant. She didn't seem to have any darkness in her. Not even after she said she had murdered someone.

He felt Alice squeeze his hand tighter as they reached they finally reached the bottom of the staircase. Riku tugged on her, pulling her behind him. He peered around the corner, searching for any signs of guards or Heartless. The blood stopped flowing to his hand as Alice squeezed it tighter. Riku bit his lip to hide his irritation; he wanted her to feel comfortable; not give her the feeling that he gets ticked off rather easily. He didn't receive an easy feeling from the hallway.

"No," Alice said as Riku was about to walk forward. Her felt her other hand, which was bone chilling cold, grasp his arm, pulling him back towards her. It made him turn around to face her and the look he got from her eyes wasn't pleasant.

_She heard a loud thump coming from downstairs; the sound hurt her ears. She felt like she wanted to throw up, but she held it down. She managed to roll to her side, but it was as far as she could move._

"_Alex?" she whispered. _

"Don't go," Alice said. "I hear students…."

"And what are they saying?" Riku asked as he raised his eyebrows. How was she this terrified?

"Something is in the hall. They're scared, Riku."

"Are you sure it's not just you that's scared?"

Alice glared at him, and it sent a chill down his spine.

"Please," she begged.

"Alice," Riku said as he got past her menacing glare, boring his eyes into hers. "Listen to me: the faster we get these ingredients, the faster we get the hell out of here. I won't let anything hurt you, okay?"

Alice's jaw dropped slightly in shock.

"You're afraid of the dark, aren't you?" Riku asked.

"No," Alice denied. "Just…this type of darkness is different."

"Okay," Riku said as he peered around the corner again. There was no sign of Heartless or guards, at least none that he could see. He glanced down at Alice. "Just stick close to me."

Alice nodded and they inched out into the hall.

"Which way?" Riku asked.

"To the left."

Riku pulled Alice along to the left. She stuck adjacent to him, almost walking in his line of path, close to making him trip. He glared at her but she was too focused on her surroundings to notice. Tugging along a seventeen-year-old, who was practically attached to his hip, was not what Riku had signed up for. This was incredibly ridiculous and, furthermore, childish. But he told himself that he shouldn't complain.

There was a very light _click_-_clack _sound echoing around in the hall. Alice seemed like she pushing against Riku to make him walk faster. But he stopped short and turned around to find out what wild hair was just shoved up her ass.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Riku asked in a whisper.

"Let's go!" Alice whispered back.

"What do you see?"

"I don't know! But this thing is not a spirit or a guard! Riku, please move—!"

Riku could hear the _click-clack _sound coming closer, but he couldn't see anything, even if he was the master at seeing in darkness. His heart starting pounding, and his blood started racing. Either Alice was legitimately crazy or…

No, she was crazy.

"Alice, what does it look like?" he asked her calmly. "Where is it?"

Alice was looking up at the ceiling. She was so close to him, that he could feel her shaking. Moreover, he could feel her fear. She was obviously seeing things that he couldn't.

"I can't see it—!"

"MOVE!" Alice yelled as pushed him aside. Riku stumbled sideways, and clashed with the wall. Instead of collapsing as if he had been defeated, he jumped up, and saw Alice lying on the ground.

"Alice!" Riku yelled as he moved towards her. But it was like running into an invisible wall. He fell flat onto his back. So there _was _something there. How come he couldn't see it? In dire need, Riku withdrew the Way to Dawn and braced himself. He got a feeling that wasn't his. Fear swelled up in his chest. It was coming from Alice. He could hear her heart ringing louder than it had before and it hurt his ears.

It made him crave for her.

He wanted that pureness and that light but he locked up that desire.

His head started to throb again. He tried his hardest to concentrate, but images that weren't his flooded his mind.

_The room wouldn't stop spinning. Alice managed to roll out of her bed onto the floor. She started to crawl to the door; her legs had no feeling in them. The drug had really put her out. It still ruled through her, making her sleepy. She might as well be blind, because her eyelids kept drooping. She pushed herself to reach the door---_

Riku opened his eyes. There, standing in front of him, was a spider that was ten times bigger than he was. This thing could eat him. It probably wanted to eat him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw why Alice couldn't move. There was a spider web that tangled around her, locking her in her position.

The oversized spider sounded like it was hissing at him. Its fangs were dripping with venom.

"I hate my life," Riku muttered to himself. He jumped out of the way before the spider could stab him with one of his huge and hairy eight legs. The leg went right through the floor, but gave a precise slice into it. The leg sounded like it was made out of metal instead of bodily fluids and organs. As the spider attempted to stab Riku again with another leg, Riku moved swiftly out of the way, and sliced through its leg. He felt the strain jump through his arms; that slice took a lot of power to make it through. It was like chopping through a block of ice.

If he was a normal kid, not worrying about Heartless or Darkness, or all of this other madness, he would become a fencer or an acrobat. It was a secret of his that he hadn't even shared with Sora. When he was a child, he was rather careless, and did flips and somersaults until he was seeing two of Sora. He would do these flips and dodge rolls when he fenced with Sora, always giving him the upper hand. But, he knew that he wasn't a normal kid. The whole Kingdom Hearts thing didn't allow him to be what he could've been; the silver hair didn't make him seem any more normal.

He saw himself as a freak. An outcast. A person who had to always keep secrets. A pompous monster who wanted power. He'd given up his dreams of becoming a fencer or an acrobat as soon as he stepped foot into Darkness. Instead of being a normal teenager, he was going to different worlds either to protect or to simply observe. It drove him mad.

He guessed that he was in the right world then. Because this world was certainly about to push him past his break point. He was arrogant and prideful, though, so he knew in the back of his head somewhere that he _would _and _could _overcome the beastly spider that was about to snap him in half if he didn't somersaulted out of the way. Even though his childhood dreams had been completely crushed, because of his best friend—not that he entirely blamed Sora for being the chosen one—he found that his acrobatic skills came in handy.

When Riku tried to chop through another spider leg, he hit it so hard, that it sent an aching pain straight up his arms. It was close to the reaction someone could get on the backfire of when they fired a gun, mixed with hitting a metal pole with a solid object, like a mallet. The Way to Dawn was stuck.

"Oh no. Not now!" Riku said hesitantly. He held out his hand to the giant spider, and fired a black and blue flame. It was the only color that was present in the room. And as the fire lit up the spider's face, Riku saw how truly hideous it was. It had double the eyes that it was supposed to; it had what seemed to be small body parts stuck between its teeth; and its pincers were the size of the Eiffel Tower…each. This was the part where Riku wished he could swap places with Sora, who was with Kairi, in a world that didn't have giant spiders that looked mutated.

This spider probably came from the Science Hall. The damn kids must've done an experiment on it and something went all wrong. This was Wonderland, after all. Anything could happen here. Madness was completely normal. Mutated spiders that could kill someone: just another day in Wonderland.

But this was not another day for Riku.

Then again, what was normal for him?

It was just _new _to him that was all.

Riku pulled his weapon away from the beast as it got burned by the fire. The spider seemed to burn quickly, faster that what Riku had expected it to. But when it burned, instead of ashes, it fell into a pool of black liquid. The liquid started to float up and morph into a giant shape.

"You got to be shittin' me," Riku muttered to himself.

A Heartless.

Of an enormous spider.

It looked even worse than before. What Sora couldn't see was what the Heartless _really _looked like. Unfortunately, Riku got the cursed luxury of seeing through the sugar coat of darkness that glamoured them. What he saw was something more demonic and heart stopping. He was disgusted at the hatred and evil that radiated off of them, and realized that he was once like that.

To take them down was not his favorite thing to do in the world. Heartless were once people. He's still killing them either way. He was more of a demon than them.

He slashed at the spider Heartless, cutting through its thick skin; its skin wasn't just air, it had some substance to it. It was almost like cutting through tar. But it was tiring him out. The legs kept growing back; the stupid kids must've done something to the original form of it. He fired a Dark Aura attack after a Dark Aura attack, watching the bluish flames dance its way over to the spider.

"I can't keep this up—" he muttered.

The spider shot out venom, and Riku dodged out of the way before he got sprayed. The venom seeped through the floor like it was acid.

Why this was so hard for him? He didn't know.

Before the spider lifted another of one of its legs that had grew numerous times, it stopped. It suddenly let out a loud shriek that pierced Riku's eardrums. The spider started to split in half horizontally. A knife flew out, spiraling in the air until it lodged itself in the wall. The spider melted into the floor and disappeared for good.

Once the sight of the spider was gone, he saw Alice sitting against the wall out of breath. He ran over to her, jumping over holes in the floor, and slid on his knees when he reached her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she flinched. Riku felt something sticky and wet. He removed his hand and saw that there was blood. He quickly grabbed her hand and she looked at him.

"You would've killed it if you'd just hit it one more time," Alice said as she winced in pain. "But I couldn't let you have all the fun."

"Can you move?"

"Yeah," she said.

Riku didn't need her to be weak now. More importantly, he didn't need someone dying on him. He helped Alice up slowly. He got a good look at her back, and saw that it was practically torn open. Thin red lines filtered in for the slits. He was appalled at the sight.

"What happened?" he asked frantically.

"The webs," Alice replied. "They were like glass."

"How…how are you alive?"

"I stuck very low to the ground. But just because they were like glass didn't mean that it was. A thread is a thread. Sometimes you got to sacrifice to be free."

"Stay still—"

"No, Riku—"

Alice froze as Riku reached his hand under her shirt, and rested his hand on her back. She flinched as soon as his hand met her skin. A green light illuminated from under her shirt. Riku felt her breathing grow shaky.

"There," Riku said as he took his hand away when she was cured. He seemed to have healed some of her other cuts and bruises that she had before he came here. He kept his hand on her shoulder, so she could see in Darkness. "Feel better?"

Alice gave a quick nod and a nervous smile. She seemed stirred up by something. He hoped it wasn't him, because then the whole adventure would be very thorny.

"That was a pretty good throw you had there," he said, trying to lighten up the mood. "Lucky throw?"

"Kind of," she said. She held out her hand; Riku heard a breeze whistle right past his ear; in Alice's hand was the knife she had thrown. She towed him over to the center of the floor where the spider had been and picked up a playing card. When she flipped it over, it was an Eight of Spades. "These cards are strange." She turned the card between her fingers smoothly. "It's like they lock on to moving objects."

"Does breathing counts as moving?"

Alice gave a small smile and said, "I don't know, but you're lucky this didn't hit you."

"The spider was enormous."

"I wouldn't have known. I couldn't see it."

Alice pulled him along and they continued down the hallway.

"If you didn't throw yourself away, maybe you could've seen it, then," Riku said. He was glad that she didn't see it. It was a treacherous beast that man should be forbidden to see.

"I saw it before you," Alice countered. Riku shook his head in confusion.

"Wait, you just said that you didn't see it—"

"I only saw the bottom of it. The thing dropped down from the ceiling."

"How come I didn't see it, then?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug. As she walked, her hair swayed gently behind her, and her winter candy apple scent burned his nostrils. "Maybe we should ask Cat when we see him."

"That's if I don't choke him."

"What's left of him, anyway."

They reached the end of the hall battered and weary. That spider took a lot out of Riku. Darkness was a lot stronger here than what he had expected it to be. When Alice put her hand on the door handle, Riku bumped against her, getting a good whiff of her aroma.

_Alice was laying on the floor, reaching up for the door knob. Her fingers hinged onto it, and she pulled herself up slowly. But she lost her balance, and stumbled over to her dresser, knocking into it. A bottle fell onto the floor and the top jetted off, letting the bottle leak out her body spray. She dropped to her knees, drenching her white dress in the liquid. _

Alice pulled him along, and they were now in a bigger hall, with a wide staircase that led down to the first floor. They descended the stairs slowly, looking around cautiously for any guards or Heartless. Alice led Riku to the left, and through a set of double doors. They were in the cafeteria; benches filled the room along with a wrap around serving line station. The place was a mess. It was splattered with food that either became crusty or had mold growing on it. Some benches were flipped over, and others broken in half.

"Ugh!" Alice said pinched her nose. "How could these children eat in here? It stinks!"

It did smell horrid. Like burning flesh, in which this made Riku uneasy.

"Not to mention the way this room is," Riku added. They wandered over to the serving line station, and both made faces at the pots that held a substance of different colors and forms. "Is that a finger in the—the—?" He paused and tilted his head. "What is that?"

"It looks like the 'Lunch Special'."

"Oh, it's special alright."

"Let's get the sugar and spice and get out of here. This smell is making me sick."

Alice let go of Riku's hand and he asked, "Can you see?"

"Y-yeah," she whispered. "I'm o-okay. Slightly blurry, but enough to make out what is what."

They went through a swinging door to get into the kitchen. The kitchen was worse than the cafeteria. It had the look and feeling of a slaughter house. Pots were still boiling and over spewing liquids from under their lids on the stove. Metal tins with something other than food were inside the oven, cooking until it became so burnt that smoke was escaping through the oven door. The freezer door was wide open, and it was breathing out its cold air conditioning; it was so cold that there was ice surrounding the door frame, and also crept along the wall.

"Does anything look like sugar or spice in here?" Riku asked.

"It's hard to tell." Alice opened up a cupboard with no fear and flinched slightly. "Oh gross," she said rather calmly. The two of them started opening cabinet after cabinet but there was no sign of sugar and spice. "Either they're empty or they have something foreign in them."

"I bet you it's in the freezer," Riku said as he stood in front of the freezer, holding back the urge to shiver from the cold.

"What makes you think that?" Alice asked as she peered over his shoulder.

"You'd think that they would give the kids normal seasonings? This place is a giant laboratory than it is of a school."

"A freezer seems like an unlikely place, though."

"So did the giant spider that was in the hall."

Alice edged her way into the freezer slowly; she took her jacket that was tied around her waist and slipped it on. She turned around and her jade green eyes had a blue tint to them. She cocked her head to the side telling him to come in. Riku walked in cautiously until he was stuck by Alice's side again. There were rotten hinds of a cow or maybe some kind of unnatural creature that wasn't present in his world.

"I still don't understand why they would keep it in the freezer," Alice said. Her jaw trembled as she fought back the urge to chatter her teeth. She embraced herself to keep warm. Riku had been in colder places before; this was nothing.

"Who said this place was normal? Come on."

He started to make his way to the back and Alice trailed behind him. Riku saw another door all the way in the corner and he told Alice to follow him. But when he didn't hear her footsteps going off key with his, he turned around and saw that she was frozen stiff, like she had just seen a ghost. "Alice?" He walked back over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

There was no answer. Her lips were parted and her breath was visible. Her eyes wouldn't meet his and this was concerning him.

"Talk to me, Alice. Can you see—?"

"T-there's someone here," she whispered blankly. She then started panicking. "There's someone here, Riku—!"

Riku placed his hand over her mouth and pulled her away. He was trying to make it to the door, but he heard footsteps stop right at the entrance of the freezer. He and Alice hid behind a hanging animal. Riku held Alice as close as he could to him; she pressed her face against his chest and her breath was hot as he felt it tingle his skin through his shirt. The unknown person started moving; their breath was coming out in heavy rags and their foot fall in shuffles.

There was telling in where the person was, so Riku took the risk by slowly peering around the corner. He felt Alice clutch his shirt tightly which made him jump. He looked at her and she finally met his eyes, giving him a silent apology. Taking another peek around the corner was making his heart race. He wasn't worried about being caught; he was worried about Alice. Although she can fight, he still doesn't have a lot of faith in her to be on her own.

_Alice pushed herself up from the floor slowly and staggered towards the door. She rested herself against the door frame, letting her head calm itself. She wanted to puke but she held it back. There were tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn't feel good at all and she didn't know where Alex was. _

"_Shit," Alice breathed. Her sides started to throb and her ribs felt tight, like they were constricting around her heart. _

When Riku opened his eyes, he felt that something was behind him. He looked down at Alice and she was staring at him. They held each other's gaze as the person's heavy breathing beat through their ears for he was standing on the other side of the hanging animal. As the seconds ticked by slowly, the person just stood there huffing and puffing and not moving at all. He then suddenly hit the hanging animal and Alice just shuttered. The animal hit Riku's back and he moved with it; if the person found that the animal stopped too soon that would raise suspicion.

This gave Riku and Alice a chance to move. He pulled her along to another hanging animal; this time is was one of the unknown creatures with six eyes, eight ears and three tongues. All of the eyes were open and were staring at the two of them. Riku peered around the corner of the creature and saw the man expecting the place where they just were. As the man continued to look, Riku pulled Alice along quickly to another animal.

Cat could get the sugar and spice himself. This was too dangerous.

Riku and Alice slithered their way over to the far side of the room whose wall had the entrance to the freezer. Alice was shivering uncontrollably and her skin was turning as white as snow. Her nose was red and her lips were pale making her look dead. The moved from animal to animal and eventually made it to the animal next to the door. But just as they were about to escape, the door slammed shut. They remained frozen until they didn't hear anything. Just as Riku was about to move, Alice tugged on his arm.

"He's still here," she whispered.

"We have to get out of here. Stay here," he whispered in her ear. Riku slipped over to the door and looked around before he tried turning the handle. As he placed his hand on the handle he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"RIKU!" Alice screamed. He turned around and saw a shadow tour over him. Before he got hit, Alice leapt towards the man and started clawing at him.

"ALICE—!"

"JUST OPEN THE DOOR!" she yelled as she distracted the man.

Riku took out the Way to Dawn and used it to slice open the frozen door; if it could cut through steel legs of a spider, it surely could cut through a freezer door—

He felt something hard smack him on the side of his head and he fell to the ground. His last vision was Alice lying next to him out cold.

0-0-0

"_Alex?!" Alice yelled as she stepped out into the hallway. She staggered towards the end of the hall where a door stood. She opened it and peered around. Alex wasn't present. No one was. "Alex?" She limped inside and looked at Alex's dresser. There was blood spatter on it and Alice felt tears leak from her eyes. She picked up a picture frame and saw that it was a picture of the two of them from over the summer. Alex had wavy blonde hair and wispy bangs that were close to covering her eyes. Her green eyes stared up at Alice like she was telling her that the summer was long gone. _

_Alice set the picture frame down and fell to her knees. She looked under the bed and saw something that she had to reach for. She pulled out a stuffed animal of a rabbit that was once white but now had blood spatter on it. The blood matched the red ribbon that was tied around its neck. Alice gritted her teeth and used the footboard to help herself up from the ground. She held the rabbit by its hand and started to go towards to hallway again._

It felt like a bomb just exploded in Riku's head and that the sonic booms were still raving by. There was a bright light that was over him and he looked away from it, letting his eyes adjust. He tried to move but he was strapped down to a gurney. Leather straps held down his wrists; one was pressed down against his chest making it hard for him to breathe; another was securing his waist and two other held down his ankles.

He heard a scream out in the distance. When he looked up, he saw that he was in the back room of the freezer and that it was oddly warm inside here. The screeching wail of Alice was powerful enough to break through the thick walls and it made his heart race.

"Goddamn it!" he cursed. He tried writhing back and forth but the straps held him tightly in place. He looked to his right and saw the sugar and spice sitting on a shelf right next to each other like two peas in a pod. If it wasn't for them, he wouldn't be strapped down to the gurney and Alice wouldn't be getting butchered for tomorrow's lunch special:

Goldie Blonde: fried until it's golden brown with a side of Silver Boys that are baked until it's wickedly delicious.

* * *

Like I said in the beginning: this story is a side project.

But nothing like a good, yummy chapter for Thanksgiving, no?

PLEASE REVIEW! IT'D BE MUCH APPRECIATED!

DivineRose2392


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